


Beating Hearts and Frantic Minds

by space_sushi



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Gen, Jock Adora (She-Ra), M/M, Useless Lesbians, useless lesbian catra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-10-27 20:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/space_sushi/pseuds/space_sushi
Summary: In a Catradora High School AU, Catra and Adora meet at the store Adora is working at. Chaos ensues, but Adora, the dumbass lesbian jock that she is, does not let this stop her. Do I know what's going to happen? No! It's a surprise for all of us.





	1. When the Day Met the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this meeting idea at two in the morning, so don't ask why it goes like this. Feel free to use it though. And, uh, enjoy!

“She’s been in there a while.”  
“I know.”  
“Should we check on her?”  
I shrug. People usually take forever in dressing rooms. But this girl has been in there for half an hour. “Did you see how much stuff she had?”  
“It was like three dresses. It shouldn’t take that long.”  
“You take that long.”  
“Shut up, Adora. Go check on her.”  
“Why can’t you, Glimmer?”  
“Because.”  
I roll my eyes. “Great excuse.” She laughs as I walk away towards the dressing room next to the checkout counter. It’s almost 9pm, and I really just want to go home. If this girl wasn’t in there, I’d be able to close up early and leave. Glimmer’s mom owns the store; she’s pretty lenient on us.  
Knocking lightly on the white dressing room door of the little boutique shop, I wait for any sign she’s done. “Is everything okay in there?”  
In response, I hear something bang into the wall. “Fuck!”  
“Excuse me, miss? Are you okay?”  
First it’s muffled, but then she gives a loud, “Yeah.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Totally!”  
It sounds anything but sincere. “Okay, well-”  
“Actually,” she interrupts, shame dripping from her voice. “I do need help.”  
“Oh. Okay.”  
She opens the door, and it takes all the energy I have to stifle my laughter. This girl is trapped in a silver sequined dress, arms through the holes in the back, the hem riding halfway up her thighs. Her frizzy brown hair is poofing out of the neckhole, framing her face, which is barely visible. Her heterochromatic eyes are piercing, glaring at me. The tag, reading ‘Bright Moon Boutique,’ is dangling from under her chin.  
“Stop staring.”  
I gasp. “Sorry. Um… How do you want to do this?”  
“You’re the one who works here. You tell me.”  
“Well…”  
“Don’t tell me this is the first time this has happened.”  
I give her an apologetic look. “We can figure this out.” I reach out, but she backs away with a soft chuckle. It lights up her freckled face in a way I can’t explain.  
“Before you strip me down to my underwear, can I know your name?”  
“Adora,” I say, and a voice in the back of my head asks if she left out the word bra, or if she’s not wearing one.  
“Catra,” she answers. “Okay. Please help me. The zipper got stuck and I have no idea what to do.”  
This time I’m the one to laugh. I go for her arms first, pulling the dress so she can pull her arms out of the holes in the back. It takes a bit, but she manages to get them out. I find the zipper on the side, tugging at it until it comes free. She and I are both staring at my hands, fumbling with the zipper, her face close to mine, breath hot on my cheek. I help her pull the dress over her head, and my previous question is answered.  
Catra’s caramel skin turns tomato red and she whips around, back to me. But there’s mirrors lining the wall of the dressing room, and I see every angle of her before my eyes go wide and I turn around as well.  
“Um,” is all I say before I walk away.  
Glimmer is staring at me. “What’s wrong with your face, Adora?”  
“N- Nothing,” I stutter.  
“What happened in there?”  
I simply shake my head. I can’t. The curve of her dark, freckled body is imprinted in my brain. The muscled, toned stomach. The way her lips parted in shock as she turned away from me, probably silently thanking whatever she believed in that she was at least wearing underwear.  
“Adora, what’s up?”  
I swallow and look at her. “I have absolutely no clue.”  
Glimmer stares at me for a beat, and then two, then three, and then shrugs. “Right, so Bow wanted to meet up at Sea Hawk’s tomorrow, but Mermista told me he wrecked his car again, so maybe we should meet up at her’s?”  
Glimmer continued talking, but my eyes drift back to the dressing room. Catra’s name runs through my mind like a dog off its leash. She walks out of the room tentatively, and I can’t help but blush as she slowly meets my eyes.  
“Find everything you were looking for?” Glimmer asks.  
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks.” She places a pair of black heels on the counter, and Glimmer rings her up.  
“24.60.”  
I can’t take my eyes off of her long, black nails as Catra reaches into her wallet and pulls out a credit card. She takes it back when Glimmer is done, and locks eyes with me for a moment too long before she puts away the card. Taking the bag with the heels inside, she mutters a thank you and walks out, the door chiming as it opens, then again as it closes.  
I breathe in, then out, then run after her. I hear Glimmer shouting questions from behind me, but I’m already outside and tripping over Catra.  
“Fuck,” I say as I steady myself. “Guess I really fell for you, huh?” She gives me a look. “You’re right, sorry, that was stupid.”  
“I didn’t know you were sorry for flashing me.” The words seem to tumble out of her mouth, and she makes a sort of appalled face.  
“What?”  
She takes a breath and apologizes. “Um, I didn’t know whether to say sorry for flashing you or that I didn’t realize you were gay, so both kind of just… Came out.”  
I laugh. “First of all it’s fine. Second of all, I don’t know how you didn’t realize. A straight girl would’ve been like, ‘oh my god you’re so pretty, like, your tits are so, like, nice and you’re so, like, thin, literally.’”  
This causes her to giggle in response. “You’re right. I just… I didn’t think you could be… With the jacket, and the hair, and the everything…”  
With this, I become acutely aware of the red and white letterman jacket I’m wearing over my white crop-top. My hair has since dried from soccer practice, but it’s up in an oily blonde ponytail. I’m out at school, but I didn’t realize I wasn’t so visibly… Straight. “Do I look that straight?”  
“No! No. I just… Don’t like getting my hopes up. That’s all.”  
I nod. “Well, darling, get your hopes up right now. I’m giving you my number and I’m taking you out.”  
“On a date?”  
“With a sniper.”  
She giggles again, sonorous and breathtaking. It makes her mismatched eyes shimmer in the moonlight. “I just met you, though.”  
“Haven't you never heard of U-Haul Lesbians?”  
Catra smiles, and it hits me like a truck. “That’s fair.” She pulls out her phone and hands it to me. I put in my number and hand it back.  
“Text me.”  
Her grin widens as I walk back into the store.


	2. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora has a soccer game, which she's invited Catra to. Not much happens in this chapter, other than some flirting, some texting, and a nice new character that may or may not bring some problems in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> texting is difficult to show (difficult for me to be happy w/ the formatting mostly) so sorry if it annoys you too lol

It’s one o’clock in the morning. I’m sitting in the dark, only the glow of my phone illuminating me. 

> lmaooo catra stop it 
> 
> Why?? I like making fun of you 😹😂
> 
> damn ur so rude
> 
> Only to you 😝
> 
> ur such a disaster lmao
> 
> You love it.
> 
> maybe so

I never stop grinning while texting Catra. Even when I’ve been up all day, I stay up for hours talking to her. I still haven’t taken her out on a proper date, but we’ve basically already gotten to first base with the whole dress fiasco from a couple weeks ago. But even just talking to her makes me feel so, so good. 

> By the way, I heard you had a game tomorrow?
> 
> yeah! i do! u wanna come??
> 
> I’d be honored
> 
> awesome! tmrw @ 11!
> 
> Home game?
> 
> yep
> 
> Cool! I’m excited!
> 
> same
> 
> i just hope i don’t mess up while ur there
> 
> i’d hate 2 make a fool of myself in front of u
> 
> tho then we’d b even
> 
> Hey!! Rude!!
> 
> hahaha 
> 
> And you said I was being mean.
> 
> payback 
> 
> Wow. All the high school movies were right. Jocks really are bullies. 😭😂
> 
> the movies speak the truth 
> 
> 😂😂😂
> 
> Oh wait, if you have a game tomorrow, shouldn't you be asleep?
> 
> nah, i like talking to u more
> 
> and anyway, i’ve played a full game on an hour of sleep with a 100*F fever
> 
> this is nothing
> 
> Too bad. I’m not letting you stay up any longer. You have a game to win.
> 
> Good night, Adora.
> 
> aww, fun police are here
> 
> Ha, ha. Go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.
> 
> goodnight catra
> 
> 💕💕💕

I look at the screen for another few minutes, simply reading over our texts. I don’t understand how, exactly, I managed to meet a girl this amazing. 

She also looks like a bad bitch, but is literally the sweetest person I’ve ever come across.

Imagine??

I grin as I plug in my phone and put my head on my pillow. I fall asleep quickly, thoughts of Catra tumbling through my head.

My alarm goes off at 8:30. I have to be at the field for practice in an hour. I find my red and white jersey, the number 10 on the back, the Etheria High School logo on the right chest: a golden, six pointed flower with a blue circle in the middle.

After eating a bowl of cereal quickly, I brush my teeth and put my hair up. I find my cleats, socks, and shinguards, and put them on, before grabbing my backpack and water and hopping into my car. I drive to the field and meet the rest of my team, who are beginning to arrive. 

“Ayy! Cap, whaddup!”

“Mermista, yo!” I call, doing an elaborate handshake with her. We made it up with our soccer team in sixth grade, and when I became captain in sophomore year, I taught it to everyone. 

“Hey ladies!” I hear from behind me, a tuft of blue hair visible out of the corner of my eye. 

“Netossa, ‘sup!” I do the handshake with her, and we laugh while we wait for everyone to get here for pregame practice. 

Someone jumps on my back from behind, yelling “We’re gonna win! Those Crimson Wasters have nothin’ on us!” 

I laugh and throw Lonnie to the ground. (We were both kind of born into this motorcycle gang called the Horde, which used to be super intense, up until when the leader, Hordak, got arrested. Now it’s less intense, and I go back from time to time, but I’ve mostly put it behind me.)

The wind blows fiercely in the mid-October morning. The trees surrounding the lush, green soccer field are turning bright hues of orange, red, and yellow, almost as if they’re rooting for our team. I see a few gathering by the parking lot, bright purple uniforms visible from the field. 

We practice drills and run laps. I lead the girls in plays and kicking practice as well. I don’t work them too hard- they need to be ready for the real game. After a half hour, it’s the other team’s turn to practice. We leave the field and watch as we drink our waters, and I analyze their moves as they run drills. 

A few minutes later, a whistle blows, and our coach waves us over to our benches, where our bags and balls are strewn around. 

“Hey coach!” Scorpia, our giant-handed goalie gives Mara a fist bump. “‘Sup?”

“Excited for this game,” Mara answers. Her dark brown hair is up, and she’s holding a clipboard, tapping her pen against it. “These are our rivals, ladies. I don’t care how many games we’ve won this season, Crimson High is the team to beat. But as long as we keep our heads up and fight hard, we can take them. They’ve got nothing on us.”

Sometimes I feel bad for doing this to Crimson High. They’re the kids from the other side of the tracks. They’re poor, less privileged. But their soccer team is incredible. I need to beat them.

“Adora, Captain, care to add?”

I nod. “I believe in all of us. Each and every one of you. This game is important. I know you all know that; there’s no doubt in my mind. So do as best you can and push yourself, because no matter what, we can do this. Got it? Good. Wildcats on three.”

We put our hands into the middle of our huddle, and counted in unison: “One, two, three, Wildcats!” 

Soon enough, the whistle blows, and the players run onto the field. The referee stands in between me and the other team’s captain. Her dyed white hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she’s a good one or two feet taller than me. Her purple uniform reflects across her skin, giving it a purplish tint. She calls heads as the coin is flipped, and she gets to start with it. She kicks it to a teammate, and I immediately run after it. After a few kicks, I get it and start running. I pass it to Lonnie, then weave through Crimson’s forwards just in time for Lonnie to pass it back. With Huntara trailing me, my kick is less than graceful, but it makes it past their goalie and hits the back net with a swoosh.

I hear cheering from the crowd, which I scan for any sign of-- Catra, there she is. She’s in a red tank top, darker than our jerseys, and a black and white flannel over black jeans. Her brown hair is waving around in the wind, and she’s clapping along with everyone else, her grin wide. 

I smile as I get high fives and pats on the back, walking back to midfield. This time, Huntara gets the ball past both me and Lonnie. Netossa charges her, but the taller girl passes the ball to one of her purple-jersied teammates. A freshman, Frosta, manages to take the ball from the girl and turns it back around, but Huntara intercepts the pass to me and runs with the ball, kicking it into the goal. Scorpia jumps, diving into the air, grabbing the ball and landing, punting it across the field back to me. 

We win the game 12-11, when I score the final goal with half a second left. The crowd goes wild , Scorpia carries me on her shoulders, and I pump my fist in the air as my team high fives ancheers. 

I jump, slapping the top of the locker room door frame as we head inside. 

“Fuck, that was awesome.” Mermista shoves me. “All thanks to our bad-ass captain!” 

“Adora, that last play was incredible,” Scorpia tells me. 

“Bro, how are you so good?” asks Lonnie.

“You’re all too much. You act like I did that all by myself.” I give my team a large grin.

“Doesn’t matter if you didn’t do it all alone, man. You carry us.” Netossa squeezes my shoulder. 

“Yeah,” Frosta agrees. “You’re like… Xena, warrior princess.”

“Nah. She’s like… Like She-Ra. Blonde hair, strong, cool as fuck, hero.” Mermista grins and begins to chant. “She-Ra! She-Ra! She-Ra!”

I feel myself blushing as my team cheers. As they get louder, I see Coach Mara enter the locker room with two other women.

“Wildcats!” she calls. They immediately go silent. “This is Bee Henderson, from the Thaymor Times. She’s here to interview you on the game. And Jo Palae, here for some pictures.” 

Lonnie gives her a cheeky grin. “I feel like Ms. Henderson and Ms. Palae would rather us not smell like dirt and sweat while she’s here. It can really burn the nostrils.” I elbow her in the side.

“We’d be happy to talk to you, ma’am. And these girls are always ready to jump in front of a camera. What do you need us to do?”

After some instructions and shuffling around, all 20 of us are lined up for the picture, with Mara to the side of us. Our assistant coach, Razz, is out with some students for a science fair, since she’s the favorite science teacher of the school.

The whole time, I was really only half into it. I just wanted to talk to Catra. 

We finish, and I check my texts as I walk out of the locker room to my car.

A few from Glimmer:

> bruh u were so good im so proud of u
> 
> also what was flasher girl doing @ ur game???
> 
> but babe that was great u played so well i cant wait until ur a famous soccer player and i get to be famous by association 
> 
> anyway txt me when ur done ilyyyyyy

One from Bow: 

> ADORA!!! OMG YOU WERE SO GOOD!!! SUCH A GOOD GAME!! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

And some from Catra: 

> Hey! You were awesome today!
> 
> I was going to wait for you, but someone said something about the team getting interviewed, so I left.
> 
> But you were so good, it was amazing to see you playing.

Before I have a chance to answer any of them, I see Huntara jogging up to me. Her hair is down, messy and full of sweat, but her usually stern face holds a small smile. 

“Hi, Adora.”

“Huntara, what’s up?” I ask, leaning against my car door.

“I just wanted to congratulate you on the win. You played really well today.” Her voice is deep and grainy, but the way she compliments me gives it a twinge of sweetness.

“Thank you! And you too! I wasn’t surprised, your reputation precedes you, but it was great to see it up close again. It was a great game.”

“I agree. And by the way, if you ever need a scrimmaging partner, call me.” She hands me a torn slip of paper, a number scrawled across.

“Thanks, man. I’ll definitely take you up on that.” I give her a grin. “Need a ride anywhere?”

“Nah. Thanks, though. See you later.” 

“Bye.” 

She walks away as I climb into my car, and I pull out my phone. First I put her number in, then I switch to my chat with Catra.

> hey!!
> 
> thx so much 4 coming!! glad u had fun!
> 
> sry i couldnt see u after the game
> 
> just out here living the celebrity life 😎

She texts back almost immediately. 

> 😂😂😂
> 
> Sure. “Celebrity.” 
> 
> i am a celebrity
> 
> u kno theyre calling me she-ra now? 
> 
> only celebs get nicknames
> 
> That’s not true.
> 
> Plenty of people have nicknames.
> 
> They call Rogelio the Bearded Dragon, but that’s only because of when he set fire to his chin.
> 
> exactly, tho
> 
> “they” call him that
> 
> theres only a they when theyre famous
> 
> or at least well known 
> 
> I mean, I guess you’re right.
> 
> see?
> 
> im not as dumb as i look
> 
> You don’t look dumb.
> 
> how do i look then

The typing bubble pops up, staying for a few seconds before disappearing, then popping up again. It cycles like this for a minute, until one word pops up.

> Beautiful.


	3. Short and Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora's in the paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh worm so i 1) had no time to write and 2) kinda had a lapse in motivation so this is kinda short but the next chapter should be pretty long

“Morning, She-Ra,” reads a text on my phone.

I respond with a “huh?” as I walk downstairs.

“Check the newspaper.”

I walk outside to grab the paper off my driveway and bring it back inside. The front page of the Post displays the headline “She-Ra and Her Gang of Wildcats Win Against Their Biggest Rival!”

_ In the biggest high school rivalry game of the year, the Etheria High School Wildcats beat the Crimson High School Rebels after a game winning kick by Adora Stevenson. Only a junior, Stevenson got onto the varsity soccer team in her freshman year, where her talents brought the team to the state championship, where they won for the first time in six years. In her sophomore year, Stevenson earned the captain role, where she was dubbed “She-Ra” by her teammates. _

_ With the teams tied 11-11 with only a few seconds left in the game, left wing Mermista Abano passed the ball to Stevenson, who dodged a charging defendant and cleared the ball halfway down the field and into the goal, just as the clock hit zero. _

_ “I’ve played soccer since I was four, and I’ve had my fair share of incredible moments,” says Stevenson. “But nothing could ever compare to that moment on the field when I scored that last shot.” _

_ “There’s never been a better game,” agrees Lonnie Davis, Second Striker to Stevenson’s Center Forward. “Crimson’s been our rivals since forever. I remember my dad talking about rivaling them when he went to Etheria. I’m pumped that we got to contribute to it.” _

_ Huntara Jones, Crimson High’s center forward and captain, says “The game was awesome.” Contrary to her teammates, she isn’t angry. “Sure, I’m kinda pissed we lost, but it was great to experience. Etheria’s got a great dynamic between their girls, and I’m hoping to get Crimson like that before I graduate this year.” _

_ Coach Mara Fazal of Etheria High School says “This game was the last tick in the box on our way to the championships this year.” She’s excited, as is the team. _

I skim to the end of the article, where a picture of our team is, next to a headshot of me. The caption reads “Above: Etheria High School Girl’s Varsity Soccer team, posing after a game. Right: Center Forward Adora Stevenson of Etheria, who scored the winning shot in yesterday’s rivalry game.”

I text Catra back with a “what the fuck thats so cool” and take a picture of it to send to the team group chat, titled “daddy big hands” after Scorpia. 

I send the picture, saying “bruh look at this” and Lonnie immediately answers, “FRONT PAGE BABEY!!!”

Catra also answers. 

~Do they really call you She-Ra? 😂

~not until yesterday lmao

~That’s disappointing. And here I thought you were the Princess of Power. 

~hate to ruin ur party lol

but im still cooler than her

so dont worry :)

~Impossible. No one is cooler than She-Ra, Princess of Power.

~yeah but everyones cooler than u, nerd

~Hey! 😂😂😂

~hahaha

I think for a minute before I text one more thing.

~u wanna go get food? celebratory meal and whatnot?

She responds immediately. 

~Of course!

~nice ok meet me @ plumeria cafe in an hour

~Got it

With that I bound up the stairs. I take a quick shower and look for something to wear. Digging through my closet, then through my drawers, I realize I have no idea what the dress code for this is, because I don’t know what _ this _ is. Is it a date? Just a get together? Usually I go to a party or something, and then the next morning my friends call me a slut. The middle is fun, but it’s no strings attached. I’ve never wanted to actually impress anyone like this before.

I decide on a pair of blue jeans and cropped white t-shirt. I keep my hair down, mainly so it can dry, but I like the way it looks. 

I realize as I inspect myself in the mirror that I never care how good I look for other people.

Shit. I don’t like it.


End file.
